The Benevolence of Bloodshed
by eyepatchesandpipes
Summary: ABANDONED What started as revenge escalated and now Megan and Kate are facing a challenge bigger than either of them ever anticipated. Femmeslash, Kegan, M for sex and violence.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**_** So this fic came about from a tweet by Dana Delany and a subsequent post by jumblr-crumblr on tumblr which resulted in both this Kegan fic and fanart. It's going to be awesome. (Oh, and although I'm English I'll try to get all the American terminology right :P)**

"Mom, do you mind if I stay here tonight?" Lacey smiled up at Megan with puppy dog eyes, watching her mother's expression melt.

"Sure, Lace. Phone your dad and let him know, okay?"

Lacey nodded with a big smile and left for her bedroom, cell already in her hand. Kate smiled after her and picked up her wineglass.

"She's missed you, you know," Megan murmured quietly as she locked eyes with her boss, "I don't think that she wants to admit it because she's scared of upsetting me. I don't mind, though; you're a part of her life whether I like it or not."

"And do you?" Kate asked as she sipped at the rosé and tucked her legs up underneath her on the couch before clarifying, "Dislike that I'm a part of her life?"

"I… no." Megan replied hesitantly, "I don't dislike it, I don't like it… It doesn't really matter to me. No, that's not right, it does matter." She rubbed her head and thought about how to phrase her feelings. "It doesn't really change my life, and as long as you don't hurt Lacey then I don't have a problem with it. Just so long as you don't get back together with Todd, that is."

Kate laughed, "Now _that_ I can guarantee you. It really was a mistake."

Megan tilted her head as she considered Kate, eyes roaming over her voluptuous figure. "You regret it then?"

"I regret that it strained our working relationship – I regret that it was allowed to strain our relationship." Seeing Megan was about to interrupt she held out one hand and inclined her head slightly, "Which I admit was as much my fault as it was yours."

Megan smirked slightly, knowing full well that she had overreacted somewhat and grateful that Kate was smoothing over what had happened.

"However, I don't regret becoming a part of Lacey's life. And I think that we've grown even closer than we were before since the relationship ended, don't you?" Kate finished with a smile as she studied Megan's features.

Megan grinned in response, "Yeah. I think we have."

At that point Lacey re-entered the room and smiled at seeing her mother and her mother-figure talking together. It looked almost… intimate, and the teen was happy to see her plan of pushing Kate and Megan together coming along nicely. After all, lesbian moms were totally in at the moment.

"I called dad." She reported, putting the phone down on the coffee table and sitting down with a smile.

"And?" Megan prompted.

Lacey shrugged, "I dunno. He sounded weird. Wanted to know why I suddenly wanted to stay over when it was his night."

"What did you say?" Megan prompted again as she rolled her eyes, feeling like it was an interrogation. That feeling increased, as did her curiosity, as Lacey went red.

"Just that I felt like it," upon seeing her mother's look she amended, "and that Kate was here. So it's fun."

Kate and Megan shared a look, Megan unsuccessfully hiding a smirk at the evidence that Lacey really had been missing the blonde.

"Yeah, it's fun, isn't it Kate?" she asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Definitely," Kate agreed as she quickly grasped the situation, "Loads of fun."

Lacey looked between the two in confusion, wondering what she'd missed. She dismissed it with a tentative smile, merely thankful that they were getting on so well and that their work hadn't been brought up yet.

**00000**

At nearly 10 o'clock banging at the front door interrupted the conversation. Megan frowned before she placed her wineglass down and made her way over. The banging got louder as someone hammered at the door, almost bringing it off its hinges. She pulled the door open to reveal her furious ex-husband. Todd proceeded to barge in and glare at the occupants of Megan's lounge.

"Lacey, get your things. We're leaving." Todd snarled as he stared at Kate in anger.

"What? No, dad! I told you, I'm staying with mom tonight."

"No you're not, Lacey! Get your things!"

"Todd!" Megan interrupted, stalking into the middle of the room and placing her hands on her hips, "What the hell do you think you're doing? Lacey called you and told you she wanted to sleep here tonight; you never had a problem with it before, so why now?"

"I think," Kate piped up, "That has something to do with me." She unfolded her long legs from beneath her and placed the now empty wineglass on the table. Standing up to her full height she padded across the floor to stand next to Megan, challenge in her eyes.

"When we broke up, you left Lacey's life. You can't just decide to drop in – I'm protecting my daughter, and I'm _taking her home._" Todd retorted as he made to grab Lacey's arm. Megan stepped forward in retaliation.

"Kate, would you mind taking Lacey to her room? I think it's time she went to sleep anyway." Megan asked, her voice dripping with anger as she glared at Todd.

"Sure, Megan. C'mon Lacey." Kate responded quietly, ushering Lacey to her bedroom and leaving her subordinate and her ex to battle it out in private.

"Do you intend to explain yourself, Todd?" Megan started as soon as the door had shut, her voice deadly yet quiet, "Lacey wants to spend the night with me, what's so wrong with that? But you just come running over here, nearly break down my front door, demand that Lacey comes with you, insinuate that Kate is going to hurt _our_ daughter, and then on top of that nearly grab her yourself so you can haul her out of here! I'm her mother and I have a right to see my daughter, just as she has the right to decide for herself!"

"And she _decided_ to be with me, didn't she?" Todd asked, knowing that it was a sore point for Megan and taking momentary satisfaction in the hurt expression that crossed her face, "So as her parent I'm making the decision to take her away from bad influences – namely, Kate Murphy."

Megan scoffed and raised a condescending eyebrow, "What, Kate breaks up with you and all of a sudden she's a bad influence? No, I don't think that's it at all – you're jealous. You're jealous that I'm mending my relationship with Lacey and you're jealous that your ex-girlfriend is staying in contact with our daughter. And not only that, I think you're still hung up on Kate and you're jealous that she'd rather spend her time with her snarky, bitchy employee than with you. Am I right?"

Megan had gotten close to him, her finger jabbing him in the chest and accusation in her eyes. The anger was rolling off her in waves – anger caused by the fact that not only was he trying to once again sabotage her relationship with Lacey, but also that he was still coming between Megan and Kate. She'd been jealous when she found out about her gorgeous boss and her ass of an ex-husband, it was true. Megan made a resolve a long time ago to never lie to herself and so she was perfectly aware of the inexplicable attraction she felt for Kate. Todd had taken away any opportunity she had to start a relationship and that made her mad. Now that Kate was single again and they were growing ever closer, for him to reappear and mess it all up was the straw that broke the camel's back, as it were.

"Listen Megan, I know that you think you know what's best for Lacey, but you don't. _I_ know what's best for her and it's _not Kate. _Think about it, do you really want Lacey being influenced by your boss? She acts like a… well, like a common whore. Bringing her back into my daughter's life makes you no better." Todd responded maliciously and condescendingly.

Megan was stunned. That bastard had not only insulted Megan but he had insulted Kate. She felt the anger bubbling up inside her before it erupted. The sound of said eruption rang out through the apartment as Todd's head snapped to the side. Megan shook her hand out and watched as a red print appeared on his face, evidence of her powerful slap.

"I think you should leave now."

Todd glared at her before turning and storming out of the apartment. Megan walked back to the couch and sunk down, resting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. She released a sigh and cringed as she thought over the argument.

_That bastard_ she thought and glanced up at the clock. 10:30.

Megan stood and went to Lacey's bedroom, quietly opening the door. Lacey was asleep in her bed and Kate sat on the edge watching her in silence. Kate glanced up with a small smile as Megan entered.

"You alright?" she whispered.

"I- Yeah. Yeah I'm fine, just… just tired." Megan replied eventually. Kate nodded in understanding.

"Do you want me to go?"

"Not yet… would you mind just having another glass of wine with me? I feel like I need to talk to someone and forget what happened." Megan admitted as she crossed her arms self-consciously. Kate smiled kindly.

"Sure."

**00000**

Megan awoke slowly, the irritating ringing rousing her from unconsciousness. She snuggled into the softness resting against her cheek before the sound registered.

The softness resting against her cheek groaned and Megan shot up, blinking rapidly and feeling disorientated before she focused on exactly what she had been using as a pillow – Kate's rather generous chest. She ignored the bolt of arousal and reached for her cell on the coffee table.

"Megan Hunt," she responded automatically without checking the caller ID.

"_It's Peter. We've got a body. He was found in a passage round the back of the local hospital."_

Megan pinched the bridge of her nose and stifled a yawn, "Right. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"_Megan, do you have any idea where Kate is?"_ Peter interrupted her before she could hang up,_ "She's not answering her cell."_

"What do you need Kate for?" Megan asked, her interest piqued as she glanced at the woman in question who was still fast asleep on Megan's couch.

"_It's someone she knows – let's call him an old friend of hers. But do you know where she is?"_

"Uh, yeah, she's with me. We'll go to the scene together, alright?" Megan responded, even more intrigued by the turn of events.

"_She's with _you?_ Yeah, whatever, it's not important. See you there."_

Megan hung up and sighed. She looked at Kate's sleeping form with a small smile before leaning over and gently shaking her awake.

_**A/N:**_** And so it begins! Drop me a review and let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:**_** Chapter two!**

Megan pulled up at the crime scene, Kate's car not far behind. She stepped out and closed the door before turning and almost running straight into Peter. She started slightly before taking a small step back. Inclining her head she indicated towards the crime scene.

"What have we got, then?"

Peter smirked before turning around and heading towards the taped off area.

"What was Kate doing at yours so early in the morning? Last I heard you two were still recovering from the Todd… incident." Peter said, ignoring her inquiry.

"Lacey's been missing her. She came over last night for dinner and then spent the night." Peter paused by the crime scene tape and glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "What I mean is we just slept together." The eyebrow rose even higher. "That came out wrong. We slept with each other. We fell asleep next to each other. On the couch. Platonically."

"Smooth. Real smooth." Peter said with a grin as Kate approached them, having parked her car behind Megan's.

Tossing her hair, Kate placed a hand on her hip and gave Peter a look that he knew signified she meant business.

"Well?"

"Well what?" he retorted, the grin growing bigger as he watched the exasperated look they both gave him.

"Stop dodging the damn question, Peter! What's the case, and why does Kate have to be here?" Megan snapped, flashing her badge at a police officer and ducking under the crime scene tape. She glanced over her shoulder as Kate and Peter followed her example.

"Guy was killed around the back of the hospital in an alleyway. No-one saw anything, no-one heard anything. Looks like his throat was slit, ear to ear."

"Okay… do we have an ID? And you still haven't explained why Kate needed to come so urgently!" Megan pressed as they neared the alley where the body lay.

"You bet we've got an ID; two birds, one stone situation. Doctor Cameron Fischer." Peter said, stopping just before bumping into the back of Megan. Kate wasn't so lucky.

The two women lurched forward but quickly regained their footing and turned to stare at Peter for a moment.

"Doctor Cameron Fischer? As in, creepy guy who quite possibly slept with his students, Doctor Cameron Fischer?" Megan clarified, shooting Kate a glance from the corner of her eye to see the blonde standing surprisingly rigid and paler than Megan had ever seen her.

"That's the one; hence why Kate's here."

"Right," Kate said through a constricted throat, "I suppose we'd better go see the body. I can't imagine this will be pleasant, though."

Megan followed Kate towards the alleyway, nodding in acknowledgement to Bud and Sam as they questioned nearby staff. Upon entering the alley Megan took stock of the situation. Dr Fischer's body was lying against a wall, concealed by a large dumpster. He was spread eagle on the floor with glassy eyes staring up unseeingly at the morning sky. His jacket was torn and bloody, body covered with bruises. As she approached Megan supressed a grimace, pulling on her gloves and putting a square of cloth on the floor to kneel on. Looking over the body she was aware of Kate pulling out a pad and pen to jot down her findings as Peter took pictures.

"Compound fracture to the left tibia… extensive bruising on the right side of his face… his throat's been slit across, most likely severing the carotid artery… liver temp indicates he died between 10 and 11 last night," Megan sat back on her heels, staring down at the body, "Whoever did this must have been quite strong, or at least would have taken him by surprise because I don't see much evidence of a struggle."

"So are we talking about a mugging, then?" Peter asked. Megan quickly searched his pockets before producing both car keys and a wallet, nothing missing. "Not a mugging. Someone he knew, maybe?" Peter offered as he snapped more pictures.

"It's possible," Kate responded as she stared down at the body with an odd expression, "If he knew them, then I don't see why he would have thought he was in any danger until the attack started. Poor guy…"

Megan stood up, running a hand along Kate's upper arm in a soothing manner.

"Hey," she murmured, "We'll catch the guy who did this, okay?"

Kate merely nodded vaguely before taking a deep breath and heading towards Bud and Sam.

"Is she okay?" Peter asked from behind Megan. Megan didn't turn around but shook her head slightly. As she glanced back at the body on the floor she noticed something.

"Hello… what's this?" Megan said with surprise. She knelt down and removed a small item from the bottom or Dr Fischer's jacket. "An earring? Looks like our killer might be female…" Placing the small item of jewellery in a bag the ME smiled slightly at Peter, proud of her find, and picked up her bag to follow Kate out of the alley.

Peter followed her over to where Kate and the two detectives were talking. "Any information?" he asked, looking out over the crowd that had gathered. They were a mix of hospital staff and patients as well as passer-by's who had decided to be nosy and take a look.

"Not much. No-one we talked to was in the immediate area last night and the majority of Dr Fischer's students have pretty tight alibis – seems like there was a party going on. Hundred plus people," Sam reported quickly "The rest of the staff are being equally unhelpful. The usual stuff – he was a good doctor, nice man etcetera."

"But we did find something," Bud interrupted, "Claire White. She's one of Dr Fischer's students, left the party early complaining of a headache. Apparently she left at 9, and get this – Miss White hasn't shown up for class today."

Megan raised an eyebrow, "I just found an earring on the body. We should be able to pull some DNA, so with any luck we'll be able to match it to her. After that, it's just figuring out the _why_."

Kate took a deep breath and nodded to Megan. "Well, let's get the body back and start on the autopsy. Detectives, we'll let you know as soon as we find anything. Come on, Megan."

Peter, Bud, and Sam all watched the ME obediently following her boss with similar expressions of disbelief.

"'_Come on, Megan'_ and that's it? She just goes?" Peter said in shock, as he gaped at the pair of them. "And this morning Kate was with her at – what, seven am?"

Sam smirked and tugged at her jacket, "Looks like we're gonna be investigating more than just a murder. Let's go Bud."

**00000**

Megan stood at the sink in her scrubs, washing her hands in preparation for the autopsy on Doctor Cameron Fischer. She looked up, surprised, as Kate joined her by the sink.

"I hope you don't mind me assisting in the autopsy?" Kate asked with a small smile as she observed Megan.

"Of course not." Megan replied, smiling in response before going back to scrubbing her hands. She swallowed slightly before asking, "How are you?"

Expecting Kate to mention her old teacher, Megan let out a small squeak of embarrassed shock when Kate responded, "Well I was a bit surprised this morning; it's not every day that I wake up with a certain redheaded employee wrapped around me."

Clearing her throat and fighting her blush Megan said, "I thought you were still asleep when my phone rang this morning."

"I was," Kate replied easily with a smile, enjoying Megan's torment, "I woke up about an hour earlier to find you sucking your thumb on my chest."

Megan felt certain she would drop dead right there from sheer embarrassment. Sucking her thumb was a very old, very rare habit she had that only emerged when she was very tired and very comfortable. Apparently, sleeping on Kate's chest qualified as comfortable. If forced to tell the truth, Megan would admit that Kate's chest was very… welcoming.

Clearing her throat Megan dried her hands and pulled her gloves on.

"Shall we?"


	3. Chapter 3

Megan was sitting in her office, autopsy completed, when Bud and Sam walked in.

"We've found Claire," Bud stated, standing in front of her desk. Megan slowly looked up with a raised eyebrow, papers in one hand and pen in the other.

"Ooookay? And why are you telling me this?" Megan asked, before she teased him gently, "Wait, don't tell me you actually want me there when you question her?"

Bud smiled grimly, "Actually, yeah. She's in another hospital, raped last night and in a bad way. We wanted you to come with us and see if you can get some DNA, one way or another. If she killed a guy and almost got killed in one night, she's not having much luck. Maybe we can even get her to confess right then and there."

Megan frowned slightly, but nodded nonetheless.

**00000**

Curtis stared at Peter with a disbelieving expression, aware of Ethan gaping next to him.

"Mmmm-hmmm?" he hummed in response, turning back on the stool to peer into a nearby microscope.

"Are you serious? Kate and Megan?" Ethan exclaimed, drawing the attention of several other workers.

"Keep your voice down!" Peter scolded quietly, checking either side of him with an awkward smile, "But yes, Kate and Megan. We don't know anything for certain, but the proof's all there."

"And why are you telling us this?" Curtis interrupted, cutting Ethan of as he knew that this conversation could only end badly.

"Because you're going to help me find out whether it's true or not."

"Oh hell no!" Curtis said, literally clamping a hand over Ethan's mouth as he saw the boy practically wriggling with excitement. "I told you before, telenovela! This is only gonna end with somebody getting' hurt, and it sure as hell ain't gonna be me!"

Ethan, tired of having his speech incapacitated, stuck his tongue out. Curtis's hand jerked back and he wiped it on his lab coat, glaring at Ethan.

"How do you expect us to help?" he asked with a grin, the prospect of doing something other than acting as Megan's bitch appealing to him.

"Just… observe. Maybe ask some subtle questions if you can, but watch how they interact with each other. Like you would a suspect," Peter explained with a smile, glad to finally have someone on his side.

"Uh, we don't observe suspects…" Ethan pointed out.

Peter frowned, "Oh yeah. Guess I've been spending a lot of time with Megan."

"You've been spending a lot of time with Megan?" Peter, Ethan and Curtis all jumped, slowly turning to look at Kate who had appeared behind them as though from thin air.

"How long have you been standing there?" Ethan blurted out with wide eyes. Curtis and Peter groaned internally.

"I just came over… why?" Kate asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as she looked from one man to the next.

"You made us jump," Peter cut in, trying to divert her attention from the panic-stricken Ethan, "We didn't hear you coming. Was there something you needed?"

Kate eyed them for a few more moments before either dismissing it or putting the situation aside for the moment. "Yeah – Curtis, are the DNA results from the earring in yet?"

"Just got 'em. They belonged to Claire White."

"Dr Fischer's missing student. Looks like we have a prime suspect then – I'll go call Bud and Sam, let them know they really need to find her," Kate surmised, pausing as Curtis stopped her from leaving.

"She ain't missing anymore. She's in another hospital after an attack last night. Looks like she was raped after Fischer's death," Curtis explained and watched with curiosity as Kate paled slightly.

"She was raped? The poor girl… Still, I'll go phone Bud and Sam anyway."

Kate left and the three men exchanged glances, Curtis and Peter glaring at Ethan because of his initial slip up.

"Don't worry, guys," Ethan attempted to reassure them, "I'll get your information right now!"

Before they could stop him, Ethan had dashed off after Kate in a blur of curly hair and a flapping lab coat.

"I'm telling ya', " Curtis intoned, "Telenovela."

**00000**

"Dr Murphy!" Ethan called as he jogged to catch up with her. Kate glanced over her shoulder at him, slowing down slightly as her caught up, "Dr Murphy, can I ask you something?"

Kate felt a smirk tugging at her lips but kept it well hidden. "Sure, Ethan," she said as she led the way into her office, "Take a seat. What's on your mind?"

"Well, Dr Murphy, I was just – well, you see, the thing is, I was kind of, I don't know,"

"Spit it out, Ethan."

"I was wondering what you thought about relationships within the workplace," Ethan blurted out before turning bright red, "Wha-what I mean to say is, well… Like, Peter and Dani! You must know about them, and I was thinking about whether you disapproved or, or what…"

Kate glanced at him in surprise, "Well as long as they can work professionally with each other, I don't see what the problem is."

"Great!" Ethan immediately brightened, having finally gotten somewhere in his line of questioning, "So, you'd date a co-worker?"

Kate's eyes narrowed in suspicion before shock settled over her features, "Ethan, are you trying to ask me out?"

"What! No, I mean, well you're very beautiful, and, but no, I wouldn't presume to, and with Megan, I-" Ethan cut himself off to avoid further humiliation, "Thank you for your time Dr Murphy."

With those words Ethan turned tail and fled, leaving a very confused Kate staring after him.

**00000**

Megan, Bud, and Sam quietly entered the hospital room after being admitted by one of the nurses on duty. Megan observed the figure lying in the hospital bed. Claire was slim but tall, not unlike Kate in stature, although the two women were vastly different in physical appearance. Claire had short black hair tucked behind her ears and a round face. Even with the bruises and cuts littering her face she was pretty, but nothing when compared to Kate.

"Miss White?" Sam asked gently, causing green eyes to rise from where they had been focused on injured hands, clasped weakly in Claire's lap.

The young woman offered a weak smile as she eyed each of her visitors with no small amount of suspicion, "You must be the detectives Doctor Dawson mentioned."

"That's right. I'm Detective Morris, this is Detective Baker, and over there is Doctor Hunt. We'd like to ask you a few questions about Doctor Fischer," Bud explained as he stared back at their prime suspect.

Claire was quiet for a moment before finally offering, "I heard about Dr Fischer. It's sad, really. The loss of life is never good. Do you know how exactly he died?"

"His throat was slit," Megan said, stepping towards Claire. She perched on the end of the hospital bed so that she was closer to Claire's eye level, "With a very sharp object – most likely a scalpel."

"He was killed at approximately 10:30 pm last night, in an alleyway behind the hospital. His body was found behin-"

"Behind a set of large, green dumpsters, in a security camera blindspot. Right?" Claire cut Bud off with a grim smile. Seeing their shocked expressions she realised she had guessed correctly, "Don't worry, I didn't kill him. I was walking home from the party then, a bit tipsy. And then I was being raped."

There was silence as three of the room's occupants stared in blatant shock at her correct assumptions and unmitigated horror at her blunt discussion of her attack.

"How could you possibly know where the body was found?" Sam asked as she gathered her wits about her, bringing Bud and Megan back down to Earth.

"It seems fitting, really. Dr Fischer was a bastard. Every single woman he taught was doomed to failure unless they did something for him – unless they slept with him. And that's where he took us. Behind the green dumpsters in an alleyway, in a security camera blind spot. Just once and he wouldn't fail us unfairly. If we refused, our medical careers were over. No-one had a choice."

Megan felt her blood run cold. _Oh God,_ she thought, _did Kate go through this too? Did the man on my table rape my boss?_

"Are you saying that Dr Fischer _raped_ his students!" Sam exclaimed, sickened at the thought.

"Not rape, no. It was more like prostitution – we slept with him so that he wouldn't fail us."

Bud broke the sudden and uneasy silence, "That, Miss White, is rape. You weren't paid to sleep with him. You didn't gain anything by it, and you didn't want to. He threatened you into it – threatened your career. He forced you into having sex with him and that is classified as rape."

Claire looked down to hide the tears springing up, "I guess that's why I'm dealing with this so well. It's not the first time, huh?"

"If you'll excuse us for just a sec, Miss White," Megan said, standing up and leaving the room, obviously expecting her detectives to follow her.

"This changes things," Bud stated as the three of them stood on the other side of the glass looking into the room, "We now have God knows how many suspects with pretty strong motives."

"Every single female student he's ever taught was most likely raped, and even if they weren't they knew what was going on. That's motive for murder," Sam started as she placed her hands on her waist and stared hard at the young girl lying in the hospital bed, "And if those girls told anyone – family, friends, anyone at all, then we have even more suspects. Protective parents, siblings, boyfriends…"

"We're losing track of what we know," Megan interrupted, knowing that Bud and Sam were getting slightly emotional, "The throat of our victim was slit very precisely with a very sharp tool – a scalpel. Whoever did this has medical training and access to the equipment. Unfortunately, that doesn't rule out very many people. Also, I got a text through a few minutes ago. The earring belonged to Claire, so either she's lying or her earrings like to go wandering."

Megan glanced at Bud and Sam as she pointed all of this out, surprised to see Bud looking so pale. As he turned to her she knew that he'd reached the same conclusion as her – only his was much worse.

"Kate was his student. She certainly didn't fail, so he must have done this to her too," locking eyes with Megan he smiled grimly and ran a frustrated hand over his head, "And that makes her a suspect."


	4. Chapter 4

"No."

Megan's answer was sudden, almost cutting Bud off as she frantically shouted her response. Kate couldn't possibly have done this, she wasn't capable or murder! She must have had an alibi, she was with someone, she was…

"No, she didn't do this, because she was with me. From 6pm to when we turned up at the scene, she was with me."

Sam and Bud exchanged a look that Megan couldn't discern before Sam chose to clarify.

"You mean the whole time? She didn't leave your side at all?"

Megan shook her head before pausing, "Well, for half an hour… Todd showed up and Kate and Lacey went to Lacey's room. It was from 10 until 10:30, but Kate didn't leave the apartment. You can ask Lace, she's missed Kate so she would have taken the opportunity to talk to her for at least 15 minutes before she drifted off. And it's a 10 minute drive from my apartment to the hospital, she wouldn't have had the time to get there, kill the guy and come back."

Megan looked between the pair of them, feeling both panicked by the notion and triumphant of her explanation. It simply wasn't possible for Kate to have done it – not only would she have waited for Lacey to sleep, she would have had to literally climb out the apartment and climb back in. It wasn't possible.

"Excuse me, Detectives?" a nurse approached, a tentative smile on her face as she looked to each of them, "We're going to release Miss White soon, so would you mind asking the rest of your questions?"

Bud nodded before glancing at Megan, "We'll find out about the man who attacked her last night, then get her address. We'll talk to you later, Megan."

**00000**

Curtis eyed the blonde form hunched over a microscope and then the black-haired, lanky, blushing form studiously avoiding her with a curious expression. He wondered what on Earth that boy had managed to do before making his way over to Kate.

"I got the analysis on the sample from Claire's attacker," Curtis said, causing Kate to sit up and turn abruptly to face him, "Jonathan Clarke."

Kate looked up at him in shock, "But wasn't he one of Dr Fischer's students?"

"Well it looks like Dr Fischer's been teaching his students more than they need to pass their exams, then," Megan commented coldly as she approached the pair, her hatred for this man building as she saw Kate and thought about what he must have done to her, "Claire knew where we found the body, because it was where Dr Fischer used to take his students to rape them."

Kate paled significantly and broke eye contact with her employee, turning slightly to face the microscope. "That's horrible," she commented in a weak voice, "The poor girl must have been through so much."

"She has, but it's also looking like she killed one of her attackers," Megan pointed out, "An earring with her DNA was found on Dr Fischer's body, she has no alibi for the time of death, she most definitely has a motive… All we need is the scalpel that killed him and she can be arrested."

Kate nodded slightly in response, "Unless it turns out she didn't do it. What if she's being framed? What if Jonathan raped her, took an earring, killed Fischer and planted the evidence? He's just as capable of murder, if not more so."

Megan locked eyes with Kate for the first time since mentioning Fischer's attacks on his students. She saw the pain swimming in those beautiful blue orbs and fought back the urge to hold her and reassure her. "What's his motive, then? If he's willing to rape a girl and frame her for murder, he's not exactly going to murder a man in revenge for raping someone else," Megan sighed, rubbing her forehead tiredly, "I don't know. Either way, we need to call the detectives and let them know to bring Jonathan in."

"I'll do that," Curtis offered, making both women jump as they had forgotten he was there. His knowing smirk let them in on the fact that he was well aware that they had gotten wrapped up in their own conversation.

"Alright then, I'll be in my office."

Megan watched Kate's hips swaying hypnotically as she stalked down the corridor before coming back to her senses and chasing after her boss.

"Kate! Kate, wait up!" Kate glanced over her shoulder and slowed her pace, allowing Megan to catch up with her. "Kate, I was wondering if you wanted to come over tonight? Lacey's at Todd's, but I enjoyed the time we spent together the other day and… well, I thought it might be fun." Megan felt herself blushing as she tried not to stammer, wondering why she was finding it so hard to articulate around her beautiful boss.

Kate paused for a moment, obviously considering Megan's motivation for asking, "Alright…" she agreed tentatively, "What time should I be there?"

Megan visibly brightened, "How about straight after work? We can order take out!"

Kate's lips twitched in amusement and she smiled slightly, "Alright, take out it is. Come to my office at 6 and I should be ready to go."

"Okay," Megan responded, almost wiggling in excitement. She watched Kate entering her office and knew that 6pm couldn't possibly come quick enough.

**00000**

Sure enough, 6pm felt like it took an eternity to arrive and Megan was itching to go by the time the clock ticked over. After visiting Claire in hospital that morning, the day had been relatively uneventful. Fischer's body had very little to tell – he should have been eating a less fatty diet, but other than that the murder was straight forward. He'd been taken by surprise, beaten, and then had his throat slit by an expert with a scalpel. He was a despicable man who had raped countless women, Kate included, and although Megan loathed any form of death she couldn't help but feel that just maybe this one had been deserved.

Bud and Sam had gone to Jonathan's home, but nobody had seen him since Fischer's body had been found. It was looking like Kate theory was being proven true, but until they found Jonathan they wouldn't have any answers.

However, Megan didn't want to think about that now. The clock ticked over and she stood up, rushing out of her office and towards Kate's. Before she reached the door she paused for a moment, schooling her features into a mask of calm. Walking the final meter she knocked on the door and pushed it open. Kate looked up, glanced at her watch and smiled.

"Time must have gotten away from me. I'm ready to go now, though."

Megan smiled at her, fully aware that she looked slightly ridiculous, "Great, I'll grab my bag and meet you by the elevator?" Kate nodded in response and Megan turned away, mentally rolling her eyes at herself.

_Look at you, Megan!_ her conscience snickered, _Smiling like a school girl. You've got it bad._

"Oh, shut up," she mumbled under her breath.

**00000**

Megan's laugh trailed off as she pushed the carton aside, smiling at Kate and tucking her legs up underneath her. "So… kind of a shock that Fischer's dead, huh?"

They'd been avoiding the subject of Dr Fischer's death for the majority of the evening, but Megan knew they'd have to discuss it at some point. Kate smiled ruefully at her, "I know what you want to ask, Megan, so just say it."

Megan spent a few long moments just gazing at the woman she was slowly developing feelings for, sorrow filling her as she prepared to ask what she was almost positive she wouldn't want to know the answer to, "Did he… that is, did you…" Megan cut herself off with a sigh before trying again, "Did Dr Fischer treat you in the same way he treated the others? Did he rape you?"

Kate was silent as she stared at the coffee table with a glass of wine in her hand. Megan thought that she had gone too far and was about to apologize when Kate replied, "I didn't think of it as rape. Not for a long time."

"Oh?" Megan didn't know how to respond to that, but her heart broke as Kate gave her a sad smile, eyes welling up.

"Yeah. It wasn't until I was with Todd, that I really realised what was going on in my life," clearing her throat and shifting Kate got ready to explain what she barely understood herself, "It was just one of those things; you had to have sex with him or you'd fail the course. My career was everything to me so I did it, even though I hated myself for years afterwards. Even though I still hate myself for it. After that I never had a serious relationship, only flings with various men. And then Todd came along."

Kate paused as though lost in her own thoughts and Megan felt the need to prompt her along, "Todd changed everything, then?"

Coming back to herself she smiled slightly, "Yes and no. He sped things up; sped my realisation up. He wanted me to be committed and I didn't want that, couldn't want that. Not with him or any other man. Of course, he wanted to know why that was. He had the right to know. I lied to him, told him that my career and my relationship with you couldn't allow for us to be together. The real reason was that I couldn't trust him, him or any other man after what Dr Fischer did to me. I realised that it had been rape and that I should have reported him. I hate him for what he did to me."

There was silence as Kate contemplated and Megan tried to digest what she'd been told. She was filled with loathing for the man deposited on her table, for what he'd done to Kate. "I hate him for it too," she admitted, drawing Kate's attention back to her, "For everything he's done to countless girls," she licked her lips, unconsciously leaning closer to Kate as Kate leaned in to hear her speaking quietly, "I detest him for what he did to you. I loathe death but I can't help feeling that maybe some people deserve it…"

Kate smiled slightly, her eyes flicking down to Megan's lips, "I'm glad we agree. And what I told Todd wasn't all lies… our relationship did affect what Todd and I had, but it wasn't how I felt about you professionally."

Megan locked eyes with Kate, her breath increasing as they inched closer. She could feel Kate's breath on her face, smell her perfume. Pausing in anticipation, asking for permission, Megan leaned forward with the intent of capturing her boss's red lips…

…when her phone rang.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N:**_** Chapter 5 already! I promise that they'll get around to the relationship soon enough, but this fic is going to go on for a lot longer than 5 chapters so no worries!**

Megan stared down at the body on her table, unsure of how she should be feeling. On one hand she was deeply saddened by the needless death – on the other, glad that a rapist had been taken off the streets.

Jonathan Clarke's lifeless form, covered in his own blood, lay in front of her. She masked the wince as she examined the cut on his throat. It was deep and savage, showing obvious anger directed at the man who was now dead, but still boasted the expertise of someone who knew how to wield a scalpel. Megan sighed, knowing that Claire was one of the best in her class.

"It ties together pretty well," Megan commented as she glanced up at Bud, "Claire was released and then an hour later her rapist was killed and hidden in an alley. Same method used, most likely the same weapon, and she has an undeniable motive for wanting these men dead. Not to mention the lack of an alibi."

"I'm sensing there's a 'but' missing?" Bud commented with a smirk and Megan dipped her head in recognition.

"I don't know; it just doesn't feel right. When we spoke to her yesterday it seemed like she honestly didn't think of Fischer's attacks on her and the other students as rape!" Megan sighed and took a small step back as she observed the body, "Fischer didn't see his attack coming – the injuries he sustained were mostly post-mortem. Jonathan, on the other hand, has several defensive wounds. Bruises on his arms indicate she was trying to overpower him, and apparently succeeded. However – wait a minute…"

Megan's eyebrow raised and she grabbed a pair of tweezers. Carefully she lifted Jonathan's left hand before extracting a small fragment of hair from under his nail.

"Well, it looks like our victim may have gotten a grip on his attacker's hair."

**00000**

Megan glanced up with a smile as Kate entered the break room.

"On a cookie hunt?" she asked cheerfully, offering a packet she had picked up from the store earlier as she continued to stir her coffee. Kate smiled and inclined her head.

"I wasn't, but the offer's just too tempting."

Kate crossed the room and stood by Megan, closer than needed without becoming inappropriate, and selected a cookie. She watched her subordinate and took a bite, humming in pleasure and resisting the temptation to smirk as a shiver worked its way down Megan's spine in response.

"So, I heard you have a lead on the Clarke case?" she said calmly, lifting her hand to push her hair out of the way. Her hand gently brushed the small of Megan's back and Megan turned abruptly in response, surprised to find she was pinned between the counter and her boss.

"Yes," Megan cleared her throat in an attempt to rid herself of the squeak that was her voice due to Kate's close proximity, "I mean, yes. I, uh- found an, um… Hair. I found a hair under Jonathan's nail. Just, just waiting for the DNA results and, uh, we'll then…"

Megan trailed off, staring into Kate's eyes and wondering how the other woman has suddenly gotten so close.

"Then…?" Kate prompted, her breath ghosting over Megan's lips and reminding them both of their almost-kiss the night before. Megan licked her lips and glanced down at the sensual mouth mere inches from her own.

"Then… we'll, uh, we'll then know who it was."

Kate merely hummed, moving forward and joining their lips together for the first time.

In the break room, of all places.

Kate's cookie fell to the floor, forgotten, as she brought her hands to Megan's waist pulling her away from the counter and pressing their bodies closer together. Megan was stunned for a moment before she gently began to move her lips, hands reaching up to grasp the back of Kate's neck in an attempt to pull her closer.

Their lips moved with steadily increasing passion, teeth gently nibbling. Kate pulled away with a gasp, looking at Megan with darkened eyes.

"Why haven't we been doing this all along?"

The question was rhetorical, but as she went to kiss Megan again they were interrupted.

"Doctor Hunt!"

Kate and Megan sprang apart, rapidly finding something else to occupy their attention. Megan grabbed her coffee and the spoon she had been stirring it with, surreptitiously wiping her mouth to remove Kate's lipstick. Kate, on the other hand, crouched down to pick up the discarded cookie while hiding her face from Ethan as he walked through the door.

"Doctor Hunt, the DNA results are in!"

Megan turned with a grateful smile, surprising the young Doctor Gross, as she took the file from him.

"Thank you, Ethan!" she said cheerfully, gaining her a raised eyebrow from Kate who was still crouched on the floor. Ethan regarded her with an odd expression before studying Megan more closely. Belatedly, Kate realised that she probably had lipstick smeared across her face. Picking up the cookie she headed for the bin, wiping her face and cursing herself internally.

"It's Claire."

Megan's voice was quiet but seemed to echo through the suddenly silent break room.

"What?" Kate murmured, her voice breaking, whether from shock or something else Megan couldn't tell.

"The hair under his nail. It was Claire's. She killed him."

Megan was stunned that such a sweet girl could have done something. She felt cold all of a sudden, sickened by the thought that what these men had done to her had caused her to exact her revenge and throw her life away.

Kate's voice was slightly weak as she spoke, "I'll call Bud and Sam. They need to bring her in."

Listening to Kate's footsteps echo away Megan knew that she must be feeling just as stunned, if not more so. However many years ago, if circumstances were different, it could have been Kate that was being brought in for questioning. It could have been Kate that snapped and killed Doctor Fischer.

Thank God it wasn't Kate.

**00000**

"Mom? Mom!"

Megan jerked, focusing on Lacey as she stared at her from across the table.

"Sorry Lace, I was just thinking," Megan responded quietly. Lacey frowned in response, having noticed that her mother had been distracted all day.

"Tough case?" she inquired, trying to inject as much sympathy into her voice as possible, despite not truly understanding how much these cases affected the people working on them.

"Not as such. We've found the girl who probably did it; she just needs to be questioned. It's just hard to understand how such a sweet young woman could snap and do what she did. It hits a bit close to home, I suppose, because if circumstances had been a bit different then that could have been Kate." Megan didn't know why she was confiding so much in her daughter, aware that Lacey couldn't truly understand what she was talking about without knowing too much. However she found it comforting to talk and not have other professionals around her reminding her that _she_ was supposed to be acting professionally.

And what had happened in the break room was most definitely not professional.

"So, you're worried about Kate?"

_Dammit,_ Megan thought, _How is it that she picks up on _that_, of all the things I mentioned!_

Megan picked up their plates, instinctively knowing that dinner was over and the discussion had now moved on to more personal matters – suitable for the couch, she decided.

Coming back from the kitchen Megan nodded to the more homely area. "Yeah, I'm worried about Kate. I don't know why I should be, she's a grown woman after all. And what happened to Claire isn't going to happen to Kate." _Not again,_ she silently amended.

"It's because you care about her." Lacey said, nodding sagely as she sat on the couch with her mother, "And when you care about people you worry about them, right?"

"Right," Megan agreed bemusedly, slightly scared of where this conversation might possibly be going.

"I've seen how you look at her, Mom," Lacey added quietly, attracting Megan's attention. Wide-eyed she went to vehemently deny the claim but was cut off by her 14 year old daughter who was apparently far too wise for her years, "She's really nice, and pretty. And _totally_ into you!"

"What? No!" Megan denied, heat rising in her cheeks as she thought about just how 'into her' she wanted Kate to be, "Okay, so _maybe_ I might feel a slight… attraction, to Kate. But she definitely isn't interested in me!"

The memory of the kiss swam lazily through her head and her blush intensified dramatically.

"Sure, Mom. _That's_ why you're blushing so much." Lacey smiled, warmth filling her at the notion of her mother and Kate finally figuring things out. "I'm going to bed. Night Mom, love you!"

Megan murmured a good night and planted a kiss on her daughter's cheek, mind reeling from the conversation. If that kiss was anything to go by, Kate was really… into her.


	6. Chapter 6

Megan stood behind the window, watching Bud as he interrogated Claire. She was indignant but panicking and with each moment that passed Megan became more and more convinced that they _had_ found the killer.

Even if her instincts were still telling her otherwise.

Paying such close attention to Claire's body language and listening to her responses, Megan didn't notice Kate's approach until two arms wrapped themselves around her waist. Kate's scent washed over her and Megan breathed in deeply, closing her eyes and leaning back into the embrace.

"You're not exactly being subtle about this, are you?" Megan murmured as she turned her head and absentmindedly placed a kiss on Kate's jaw.

Kate smiled in response, carefully avoiding the question, "What is this, exactly?"

Megan drew her lips away and stifled a sigh. She pulled away from Kate and turned around to face her, leaning against the window.

"I don't know," she admitted quietly, "But I want to find out, if you do. Lacey seems to think that we belong together, so that's something we don't need to worry about…"

"And do you?" Kate asked. Megan shot her a confused glance and she clarified, "Think we belong together?"

Megan was quiet for a few moments, her eyes carefully trained on the floor, "Maybe we should just find out together. I mean, we could say that this feels right, that we've never felt this way before, but…" Megan raised her eyes and looked at Kate with determination, "We can't know that until we try. So, I guess what I'm saying is, I want to try."

Kate smiled, relief flooding her, "Great. Great! We'll try then." On impulse Kate grabbed Megan's hands and kissed her. She lingered sweetly for a moment before pulling back.

"Megan?"

The door opened and Peter appeared, causing them to jump and pull back from each other. He offered Kate a slight smile before addressing Megan, "Todd's at the office and he wants to speak to you. He looks mad."

Kate and Megan shared an exasperated look before Megan followed Peter through the door.

**00000**

"Megan, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Todd hissed as he saw Megan walking towards him. The anger was rolling off him in waves but Megan merely rolled her eyes and walked past him.

"I think my office would be a better place to have this conversation, don't you?" she commented lightly before opening the door and gesturing him inside. Turning to close the door she caught Kate's eye and smirked at the sympathetic wince.

"What's going on, Megan?" Todd started, dropping his coat on the sofa and glaring at her. Megan carefully ignored him and nonchalantly skimmed the edge of her desk before taking a seat. Folding one hand over the other she levelled him with a stare.

"Let's make one thing perfectly clear, Todd; I am not your wife and you do not get to control me. Now, what have I supposedly done this time?" Megan said with a deadly quiet voice.

"I'll tell you what you've done," he replied, leaning on the edge of her desk menacingly, "Kate."

Megan failed at hiding her surprise, mouth dropping open and eyebrows rising, "Excuse me?" she scoffed, indignantly staring at her ex-husband.

"You heard what I said. I knew you were a bitch, Megan, but I never thought you were so low to try and steal my ex to hold it over me," Megan went to interrupt but her ploughed on, "And I never had you pegged for a dyke, either. Getting Kate to sleep with you so that you suddenly become the favourite parent with Lacey? Is that your plan? Because it's not working; she told me that you're starting this relationship with Kate, and she told me it's ridiculous. It's never going to work. Now I'm only going to tell you this once; end it or I won't let you see Lacey, on my life. Break up with that _slut._"

Todd didn't see it coming, but he certainly felt it. Megan felt the rage pumping through her as she stood up suddenly and watched with an almost detached interest as her hand formed a fist and flew through the air, propelled by the force of her standing up, to hit Todd in the face. He flew backwards, landing on the floor and hitting his head. Blood spurted out of his nose and Megan felt satisfaction rushing through her. The door burst open and Peter, Curtis, Ethan, and Kate rushed in.

"Megan, what the hell do you think you're doin'?" Curtis said, staring at her in shock as Todd groaned on the floor. Megan ignored him, towering over Todd menacingly.

"Don't you DARE call her that!" she snarled at him, trembling with anger, "You say anything like that again and it won't just be your nose that I break!"

Peter hauled Todd up to his feet and handed him a tissue, watching him warily. Todd's eyes were locked on Megan, staring at her challengingly. The atmosphere was incredibly tense, only broken as Kate moved forward and took Megan's hand in hers and examined the bruised knuckled carefully. Todd practically growled at them before storming from the office.

**00000**

Kate sat behind her desk, watching Megan pacing in front of her like a caged tiger. Sighing, Kate finally spoke up.

"Megan, you can't just do that!" Kate said, not quite knowing where to begin, "Believe me, I know how much of an ass Todd can be. But that doesn't mean you can just go around assaulting him! What the hell did he do?"

Megan stopped pacing and took a deep breath. She eventually looked Kate in the eye, "He said some bad things about our relationship – about you. He told me that if we continued seeing each other, he'd stop me from seeing Lacey. He said that we're doomed to fail."

Kate rubbed her forehead, realising that she had to tackle this as something other than Megan's boss. Moving around to the front of her desk she leaned against it, reaching out and clasping Megan's hands in her own.

"He can't stop you seeing our daughter, and his opinion on me or our relationship doesn't matter," Kate reassured her, running the back of her hand over Megan's cheek affectionately and offering a small smile, "As for us not working out… why don't we prove him wrong? Come over to mine tonight and I'll make us dinner. Maybe this time we won't be interrupted by work, seeing as Claire's been arrested."

Megan nodded in agreement, drawing back and taking a deep breath as she made the switch from personal back to professional, "Claire's been arrested? She did it then?"

Kate recognized the change in Megan's stance and adjusted herself accordingly, "Apparently. One more murderer put away, right?"

Megan smirked in response, nodding somewhat sadly at the truth of it. However, she left the office in a significantly better mood and anticipating the evening.

**00000**

The lights of Kate's apartment were lowered, candles lending a romantic atmosphere. Soft music was playing in the background and the smell of their dinner was drifting through from the kitchen. Upon entering the apartment Megan had known this was not a normal date but a seduction. Kate had smiled, the blue silky dress hugging her in all the right places and ending at her knees. After turning around Megan thought she had swallowed her own tongue at the sight of Kate's bare back.

Now, sitting at the table with the candles illuminating Kate's face and the delicious meal on her plate, Megan knew that Kate had never looked more beautiful and that she had never felt more wanted. Lingering looks and fleeting touches were heightening her senses which, when combined with the subtle flirtation, assured her of the fact that she was more than ready to take her beautiful boss to bed.

"Would you like to dance?" Kate murmured, offering her hand. Megan smiled and accepted, standing up and moving over to the living area. Megan reached up, looping her arms around Kate's neck and smiling as she felt hands on her waist and pulling her closer. They swayed gently to the music, Megan steadily pressing closer and memorising the contours of Kate's body. The song was coming to an end and they pulled apart, lips brushing together with an intensity that shocked Megan.

Lips still touching, Kate whispered one request, "Come to bed."


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: **_**I'm SO sorry for the delay but life seems to have decided to bitch-slap me with work, and then I was having loads of trouble writing for smut for some reason and… yeah. Basically, I'm sorry, and here is the promised smut!**

Megan fell backwards onto the bed, the delicious feel of Kate's body pressing her into the mattress setting every nerve ending on fire. She moaned as Kate's luscious lips traced a line down her throat, nipping gently before running her tongue over the small hurt. Megan tipped her head back, baring herself and clawing at Kate's dress. She wanted to feel the hot skin under her hands, to run her nails up and down her boss's back and leave red marks that only she knew were there. A particularly hard bite to her shoulder caused her to yelp, but the flood of wetness that soaked her panties surprised her. Whenever a man had hurt her she had hated it, but with Kate…

She wanted to be controlled. She wanted to be dominated. She wanted to be utterly taken, completely ravished… she wanted Kate to mark her as her own.

With the last thought Megan's nails caught on the cloth and she tugged upwards, revealing more of Kate's body to her desperate hands. The dress rode up around Kate's hips and Megan groaned as her fingers traced the edge of Kate's panties. A chuckle vibrated against Megan's throat as Kate pulled back, sitting up and straddling her. She clasped the wandering hands with a small smile and a slight shake of her head. She drew Megan's hands up the bed, guiding them to the headboard. Leaning back down with her soon-to-be lover's hands clasped in her own she brushed her lips against Megan's ear.

"Hold on; you're going to need to," Kate whispered, catching the lobe of Megan's ear in between her teeth and dragging slightly. Megan shivered and nodded, not trusting her voice. Kate pressed a kiss to Megan's cheek and drew her hands away, confident that Megan wouldn't let go. In fact, as Kate's hands pulled at Megan's clothes, Megan's hands tightened and her knuckles went white as she shivered.

Kate stood up abruptly, leaving Megan open and wanting on her bed as she stripped her clothes. Standing over Megan, naked, Kate had never felt more powerful whilst looking so vulnerable. She repositioned herself on the bed, straddling Megan's hips before she leaned down to once again capture the swollen lips. She quickly tugged at Megan's blouse, buttons popping and the fabric falling open to reveal a lacy red bra. Kate bit her lip, eyes greedily taking in Megan's chest.

Megan whimpered bringing Kate's attention back to her and she smiled, leaning down to re-join their lips.

**00000**

Kate tugged at the nipple with her teeth before soothing it again, her fingers running up and down the inside of Megan's thigh teasingly. They were both finally naked and Kate knew that Megan was wet by the way she squirmed towards the exploring fingers. Tongue circling gently, Kate drew her fingers upwards again, slipping through the wetness and searching out Megan's clit.

"Oh God," Megan murmured, rolling her hips towards the questing fingers, "Oh God, oh God, oh God!"

Kate chuckled, lifting her head to place a kiss on Megan's throat. She moved to Megan's other breast, her fingers finding the little nubbin and swirling around it causing Megan's hips to buck as she panted, desperate for pleasure.

"Tell me what you want…" Kate whispered, sucking Megan's neck lightly and slowing her fingers. Megan moaned in protest, rolling her hips again to desperately try and get more friction.

"Inside!" she demanded throatily, eyelids fluttering as she fought to focus, "I need you inside."

Kate smirked, her fingers already at Megan's entrance. As soon as she finished speaking, Kate swiftly entered her with two fingers. Megan cried out and arched her back, knuckles white as she gripped the headboard forcefully. Lowering back onto the bed she Megan rocking her hips, building momentum as Kate thrust into her and a steadily increasing pace. Then she slowed, Megan crying out in protest as she tried to recapture their previous rhythm.

Kate continued like this, alternating pace repeatedly and capturing her lover off guard, thumb brushing Megan's clit and sending delicious shudders through her body. Eventually, when Megan was nearly sobbing with frustration, Kate stopped teasing. The pace was agonizingly slow but it began to increase, going faster and harder with each thrust. Megan was clinging to the headboard, whimpering and keening as she was being pushed further and further towards the edge. Kate pressed her thumb down on Megan's clit and she opened her mouth to scream, her climax almost upon her.

Suddenly Kate pulled away completely, her hands and mouth leaving Megan's body. Megan gasped, hips jerking in the air as her release was cruelly taken from her. Kate straddled Megan, resting her hips on Megan's own and pinning her to the bed.

"Uh-uh," Kate said, her voice deeper than usual from her arousal, "Do you know how much trouble you've been over the years? How many of your messes I've had to clear up? I think I'm going to make you wait a little while."

Kate smirked, her hands already brushing through her own hair. Her left played with it, fingers tangling, while her right began its trek down her body. She stroked down her throat and across the top of her chest, fingers ghosting over her breast. She cupped it, flicking the nipple and shivering. Kate bit her lip and locked eyes with Megan before a decidedly wicked smile played on her lips. She rolled her hips, grinding gently against Megan's taut stomach and leaving a trail of her arousal there. She released a breathy moan, squeezing and kneading her breast. Her left hand left her hair, trailing down her body to cup her other breast. Fingers playing across soft skin, Kate rolled her hips again and watched as Megan moaned this time and closed her eyes, head tipping back and the feel of Kate on top of her. Megan didn't dare release the headboard as she opened her eyes in time to watch one of Kate's hands mapping out her skin towards her centre.

Kate rocked her hips gently at first before pushing more firmly, grinding against Megan as she slipped her fingers into her folds. She massaged her clit and whimpered, using her left hand to hold onto Megan as her head tilted back. Riding Megan, her own hand working her towards her climax, hair spilling across her back, Kate looked beautiful. She was getting faster and Megan released the headboard, grabbing hold of Kate's hips to pull her towards her. Kate's eyes snapped down to look at the redhead, but instead of a reprimand, she whimpered and closed her eyes.

Kate worked her fingers frantically as she rocked desperately against Megan, small breathy moans escaping her. Before she realised what was happening, Megan pulled her down and bit her bottom lips. The sudden movement pushed her over the edge but Megan swallowed Kate's scream of ecstasy.

Eventually, Kate felt she was able to move again and opened her eyes to find herself sprawled on top of Megan. She groaned slightly and lifted herself up so she was once again kneeling over Megan with a smirk.

"Please…" Megan whispered, hips bucking fruitlessly before Kate decided to take mercy on her.

Brushing a light kiss to Megan's lips she wasted no time. In mere seconds Kate was nestled between Megan's thighs and nipping at the inside of her thigh. Megan, who had previously been holding Kate while she recovered, brought her hands back up to hold onto the headboard, already knowing that she would need something to keep her tied to earth.

Kate spread Megan's lips, taking in the sight hungrily. She pressed one last kiss to Megan's thigh before extending her tongue. She touched gently enough to make Megan squirm, before licking with more pressure but stopping before she reached Megan's clit. The long, loud moan was testament to Megan's state of arousal.

"Oh God, Kate, please don't tease!" Megan begged desperately, frustration evident.

Kate decided to stop torturing her lover, tongue slipping inside. Megan moaned in response, her hips grinding downwards and searching out more of the elusive pleasure. Kate was more than happy to comply, feasting on Megan with abandon, love for the other woman filling her completely.

All too soon Megan was peaking, tumbling over the edge with Kate's name on her lips.

In the background a phone rang.

**00000**

Megan exited the elevator, striding towards her mother and daughter with Kate on her heels. Both were completely composed, the phone call having doused their post-coital bliss quite effectively, and Megan's expression was completely unreadable. The mask broke as soon as she saw Lacey's tear-stained face.

"Mom!" Lacey left Joan's grip, running towards Megan and throwing her arms around her mother's waist as sobs racked her small frame.

Megan hugged back, pain for her daughter causing tears to slip down her face as she rested her chin on Lacey's head. "I'm so sorry, Lace," she whispered, rocking her daughter from side to side in comfort, "I'm so, so sorry!"

Kate stood behind them with a look of shock on her face, still unable to believe it. She felt useless and regretted what she had to do now. "Megan," she murmured, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry but, as I'm sure you know, I can't let you do this autopsy. With the family connection, your history, and what happened… Please tell me you understand?"

Megan nodded, releasing Lacey from the hug but keeping her daughter by her. "I know, Kate. I know, just… just take care of him, okay?"

Kate nodded in agreement, although hours later she wished that she had never been the one to perform the autopsy as Bud and Sam entered Megan's office where she sat waiting. Lacey woke up from her fitful sleep on the couch in time for;

"Megan Hunt, I am arresting you on suspicion of the death of Todd Fleming. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence."

In a dream-like state, Kate watched as Megan was guided away in handcuffs and felt as though her world had collapsed around her.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:**_** Fairly short chapter, just wanted to clarify a few points and show you all how far Kate would go for Megan. Expect another chapter in the next few days.**

"Kate, you know I can't let you do this. What you said to Megan still applies to you; you did date him, and with the circumstances…" Curtis trailed off, shrugging sympathetically, "We both know what he said to make Megan so mad at him. I just can't let you."

Kate sighed, running a hand through her hair, "Okay, fine! Just… let me assist, alright? It's your autopsy, I just want to help. He may have been an ass but I did care about him at one point, so did Megan. And Lacey's heartbroken. Please?"

Curtis took a long look at her, discomfort obvious, "Alright, but if somethin' goes wrong, I ain't taking the blame! It's all on you, got that?"

Kate agreed, moving away to change into her scrubs.

**00000**

Curtis and Kate stood opposite each other, Todd's body dividing them as they stared in shock at the realisation.

"That can't be right…" Kate said, desperate for something to tell her that their discovery was wrong.

"We got a cause of death yet?" Bud asked as he came into the room. Sam stood outside talking to Joan, who had found Todd collapsed in his house when she'd been bringing Lacey there to pick up something.

Curtis and Kate continued to stare, communicating silently. Or rather, arguing. Kate didn't want to tell Bud; there had to be another explanation, something that had been overlooked. Curtis, however, made the decision to do what his job dictated.

"Cerebral haemorrhage. From the bruising on his face, I'd say he was punched and hit his head which proved fatal," Curtis looked up sadly at the intake of breath.

"Are you saying…?"

"Megan did this? It looks like it."

**00000**

Kate sat in her office, head cradled in her hands as she stared down at the papers in front of her. She had to file the autopsy report stating that apart from some slight liver damage from a lifetime of drinking, Todd had been a healthy man and the only possible reason for his death was a single punch. She had to tell the world that because he was an ass, because he threatened his ex-wife, she had punched him and caused him to die in his kitchen at home 3 hours later.

Kate couldn't do it. In that moment she made a decision that could have gotten her fired and arrested. She went to the evidence locker and she removed a half-ingested, poisonous berry that had been found in a body the previous week – luckily, it wasn't the cause of death. It was only mentioned once in the autopsy report and she knew that with a bit of tweaking, it would seem as though it was never there. Now, as she extracted the poison and injected it into Todd's heart, it would serve as the cause of death for a man she held no sympathy for. Megan would walk free – she hadn't killed him, intentional or not. After eating that berry it had only been a matter of time.

It didn't matter whether what she'd just done was right of wrong. She'd done it and there was no going back. Megan, although she'd never know the truth, owed her freedom to Kate.

**00000**

Megan wrapped her arms around Lacey, hugging her tightly. She didn't see Kate watching from the other side of the station, a small smile on her lips before she left mother and daughter together.

"Oh, Lace! I'm so sorry that you had to go through this!" Megan apologised. She pressed a kiss to her daughter's head and felt the small sobs wracking Lacey's body.

"Mom… I thought, I thought that you were going to jail! I thought that they'd take you away and I didn't know what I was going to do!" Lacey wailed, "I thought you were going to leave me too!"

Megan cried quietly, "God, Lacey, I'm sorry. I'll never leave you, sweetheart! I promise, God, I promise. Nothing is more important to me than you. I love you so much; I promise I won't ever leave you!"

Megan rocked her daughter in her arms, tears seeping into her jumper. She couldn't shake the feelings of guilt, knowing that despite what the autopsy report might say, she'd killed her ex-husband. She was the reason for her daughter's pain and she'd never forgive herself.


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N:**_** Megan is really NOT having a good week. Be warned, this chapter is definitely not PG-13**

Megan was sat in her office, fiddling with her necklace and staring into space. She'd been released from jail two days ago and had come back to work immediately. However, in that time she had barely seen Kate.

It wasn't that they were avoiding each other; that was fairly impossible when they worked together in such close quarters. It was more that when their paths did cross they were much more reserved in how they spoke. Work took over their lives once more and their conversations were strictly professional. Megan didn't know whether anyone had noticed but if they had it hadn't been mentioned. Everyone was acting as they always had and most definitely not mentioning Todd. Not that he had been spoken of very often before; her ex-husband had always been a touchy subject for Megan and his death had only made this more pronounced.

Megan was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't hear Peter knocking, entering, or speaking to her. When she was finally brought back to Earth by his hand waving in front of her face she jerked, dropping her necklace and letting out a startled squeak.

"You alright?" Peter asked quietly, face twisted into gentle concern as he gazed down at her.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, just… thinking." Megan replied absentmindedly, running a hand through her hair and trying to look like she was working – or at the very least not concerning herself with what were, in truth, fairly inappropriate thoughts of her boss.

Peter pulled up a seat so that they were more level, "Megan, come on. You can talk to me. I know that something's not right. You've been acting weirdly around Kate for the past couple of days. Is this about Todd?" Megan avoided eye contact, sighing quietly and helplessly. Peter exhaled slowly as he tried to pry the truth out of her, "I'm not stupid, I can see this is eating you alive. You're going to have to talk to someone at some point; it might as well be someone you trust."

"I… I can't, Peter. I just can't talk about it," Megan said, feeling tears welling up for some inexplicable reason.

Peter shot out of the chair at the sight of her tears, coming around the desk to pull her into a hug. "Hey, shh, it's okay. Now let me guess, alright?" Megan nodded, wrapping her arms around him and leaning against his chest for support. "You care about Kate a lot. Your ex-husband just passed away and you were accused of manslaughter. Kate then proved you innocent. You're grateful, but not only is she your boss, she also dated Todd. She obviously had feelings for him at some point and, despite it not being your fault, you still feel guilt over hurting him. A man who was quite possibly loved by a woman you care for, a man who fathered your child. So you can't look at Kate without feeling guilty, right?"

Megan's sobs increased, as did her hold on him, and she nodded.

She _did_ feel guilt, but not for the reasons Peter stated. Kate never loved Todd, she'd said so herself. Megan felt guilty because somehow, deep down, she knew that she _was_ responsible and that Kate had covered it up for her. Kate had lied for Megan and Megan couldn't look at her without wondering. She looked at Kate and asked '_Would I have done the same? Would I have risked my career, risking time in jail, for Kate?'_

Megan felt guilty because she didn't know. She felt guilty because she couldn't possibly answer that question.

"It's alright, Megan, it is," Peter murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Even through her distress Megan felt her eyes widen at the gesture, brain working frantically to figure out what it meant. That thought process was halted, however.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not interrupting, am I?" Kate asked, grinding to a stop as she'd been striding purposefully into Megan's office.

Megan pulled away from Peter, wiping at her eyes and shaking her head. "No, not at all. Um, thanks Peter. I needed that, I think," she laughed half-heartedly with a watery smile.

"No problem. Call me if you need anything, alright?" Peter said as he let her go reluctantly. After receiving a nod of acceptance he turned to leave her office, giving Kate a hard look as he went. Kate ignored it after taking a deep breath and walked to stand in the middle of the room, joining her hands in a tell-tale nervous gesture.

"We need to talk," Kate began, but quickly corrected herself at Megan's horrified look, "about what happened with Todd, I mean. We've been skirting around the issue for the past two days and it's getting ridiculous."

Megan smiled ruefully, "I agree entirely, but I think this office has seen too much action these past few days. How about the bar two blocks from here? At, say, 8?"

Kate smiled in relief, nodding happily and unclasping her hands, "Great. I look forward to it. See you at 8."

Kate quickly exited the office, as though afraid Megan would change her mind. Watching her go, Megan smiled for the first time in what felt like years, thinking that they really would be okay.

**00000**

Megan watched her finger tracing the rim of the glass again… and again… and again… and again.

Her thoughts followed the same pattern; looping around just to reach the point that they had started at again. Kate. In the end, everything came back to Kate. Kate slept with Todd and Megan got jealous. Kate broke up with Todd and they became friends. Kate became her friend so Megan fell for Kate. Kate was insulted by Todd, so Megan punched Todd and then Todd died. Kate did something to hide the fact that Megan had killed someone… again.

Despite all of this, Megan couldn't find it in herself to blame Kate. At all, for any of it. Megan could have supressed her emotions, could have stopped herself punching Todd. She could have done everything differently.

She's glad that she didn't, and that was causing the guilt. When it came down to it the fact that Megan regretted absolutely nothing was causing her the most horrendous guilt. She_ should_ regret it! She should wish that she'd never laid eyes on Kate Murphy, and yet…

Megan looked up with a smile, knowing that the woman herself had just walked into the bar. The air felt different, it crackled with a sort of electricity that hadn't been there before.

"Hi," Kate murmured in greeting, slipping onto the barstool next to Megan.

"Hi yourself," Megan responded with a flirty smile, cringing internally because she knew that now was really not the time for flirtation. Thankfully, it seemed that Kate knew her better than she'd realised as the other woman didn't mention anything for a few minutes.

"I need to know what's going on inside your head, Megan," Kate whispered eventually, sadly, staring at her hands on the bar. "I need you to tell me so I can understand how you feel about all this. I'm not a mind reader and these past couple of days, not knowing where we stand with each other… it's been hard."

Megan nodded, taking a drink from her now empty glass and placing it gently back down, "I know. And I'm sorry, this is my fault. I'm just having a hard time processing everything. I killed Todd, and I don't know what to do about it."

"You didn't," Kate interrupted fiercely, trying to protect Megan from herself, "You were released, you've read the autopsy report yourself. It was a berry-"

"Todd didn't like berries!" Megan snapped, tears shinning in her eyes. The bar quietened for a moment at her outburst. With people looking at them curiously Megan lowered her voice, hissing at her, "Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, it didn't matter! He didn't like any of them and you know that as well as I do. Now I don't quite know how you did it, and I don't want to. I'm not having trouble with the fact that you broke the law to save me, I'm having trouble not knowing how I feel about you!"

Kate looked stunned for a moment before she whispered, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Megan gentled her voice slightly, "I care about you a lot. But I don't know how much. I can't blame you for what's happened, at all. Trust me, when it comes to my personal life I'm a pro at shirking responsibility, and it has nothing to do with the fact that you're my boss. I just _can't blame you_, and I certainly don't regret meeting you_._ So my feelings for you are so strong that I don't quite know how to cope, and if I could just admit that I'm in love with you, then that would be okay!"

Kate's eyes widened, a smile breaking out over her lips, "You love me?"

Megan shook her head in despair, "That's the problem! I don't know! Because I think about what you did, how you risked everything to get me out of a situation that was my own fault and I wonder to myself whether _I_ could do that for _you!_ And I don't know. I ask myself that, and I don't know!"

Kate's smile faded and she found herself nodding solemnly, "Alright. That okay, Megan. However, I do need to tell you this. No matter how you feel about me, I need you to know that I'm totally in love with you. Head over heels."

…

"Thank you."

**00000**

Megan pressed her lips to Kate's, gently, brushing a lock of hair behind Kate's ear tenderly.

"I'll see you later," Kate said, pushing her hands into her coat pockets and glancing up at the cloudy night sky.

"Yeah. I'll call you, okay?" Megan promised, brushing their lips together once more before crossing the road. As she was walking down the street towards her car Megan felt eyes on her. She turned to look behind her, hoping to catch Kate gazing after her. However, a hand on her arm roughly tugging her into an alleyway and something being stuffed into her mouth before she could scream stopped that.

Pain suffused her as she was slammed into a wall. Her head shot back slamming into the bricks and making her ears ring. She felt sick from the impact, her vision blurring. Focusing on the man she saw the glint of metal. He held a knife to her throat, smirk in place as he already started tugging at her clothes. Megan thought she was going to be sick. She was dizzy and felt weak from the outstanding force he had used against her.

Then she felt him tugging her panties down and unzipping his jeans. Tears leaked from her eyes as her mind caught up and she realised this wasn't just a mugging. Megan fought against him, trying to push him off her. He punched her straight in the stomach. She gagged on the fabric in her mouth, doubling forward. He caught her, pushing her back up against the wall and delivering another punch to her face. Megan felt her nose break.

Then he used the knife. He grabbed her right arm, which she'd initially used to try and punch him, pinning it back. The knife arched through the air and sliced into the muscle. She screamed in agony, the fabric muffling the sound although it was still loud. He then dropped the knife, pushing his jeans and boxers down. The man lifted a sobbing Megan up, spreading her legs and preparing himself.

Megan wasn't sure what happened next. Everything was a blur to her, the head wound she sustained from the first blow matting her hair with blood. There was a shadow that appeared at the end of the alley, charging towards them. Then she was falling down, hitting the ground as her attacker was knocked off her and to the side. She heard a knife being picked up, by whom she didn't know. Then the sound of a man choking on his own blood.

As Megan passed out the shadow came towards her. Blood-spattered pale features came into view. Whether it was her attacker or her saviour Megan didn't know, because at that moment she let the blackness claim her.


End file.
